Key findings from current flu monitoring systems for the week ending 11/12/11 include:

The overall level of flu activity is currently low and appears to be stable when compared to last week.

The number of people hospitalized with flu is currently 5 and appears to be stable when compared to last week.

There were no pediatric influenza-associated deaths in NYS (including NYC) reported this week.

There have been no pediatric influenza-associated deaths in NYS (including NYC) this season.

Statewide Testing for Flu (NYS and NYC)

All laboratories (public, private, hospital, commercial, etc.) that perform testing on residents of the state report all positive flu test results.

Test results may identify Flu Type A, Flu Type B, or Flu without specifying Type A or B. Some tests only give a positive or negative result and cannot identify flu type (unknown).

There are two main types of flu viruses-Type A and Type B. Type A flu viruses can be broken down further into 2 common subtypes. Each subtype has a slightly different genetic makeup from the other.

All Positive Flu Reports for week ending 11/12/11

All Positive Flu Reports (season to date, by week)

Public Health Testing for Flu (outside of NYC)

Wadsworth Center, the NYSDOH public health laboratory, tests a subset of NYS residents from sources including:

A select group of doctors from around the state send samples from patients with complaints of illness consistent with flu that they see in their offices.

A select group of hospitals from around the state send samples from patients who are admitted to the hospital with complaints of illness consistent with flu.

The New York City Public Health Laboratory tests a subset of NYC residents. Results of this testing are reported on the NYCDOHMH website.

Subtypes Tested at Wadsworth Center for week ending 11/12/11

Doctors' Office Visits for Flu

The NYSDOH works with a select group of doctors across the state who report the total number of patients they saw and the total number of those patients with complaints of illness consistent with flu every week.

The graph below represents the percent of visits to these sentinel providers that were for patients with complaints of illness consistent with flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses trends from past years to come up with a "regional baseline" rate of doctors' office visits for illness consistent with flu. For NYS, the "regional baseline" is currently 2.5%. Numbers above this "regional baseline" suggest high levels of illness consistent with flu in the state.

Percent of Visits to Sentinel Providers in NYS (Outside of NYC) for Flu-like Illness (season to date, by week)